A general bye in both Senior and Reserve Grade saw South Kempsey Oval as the focal point in AFL North Coast as it hosted the only match to be played across the ANZAC Day long weekend. The Under 18 clash between the Macleay Valley Eagles and Port Macquarie Magpies was a fantastic spectacle in windy conditions that were very challenging for the players to produce quality footy, but they still delivered.
Macleay Valley started their season last week with a good win against the Breakers and, with star players Shaydan Close and Chris Holten in the team, were looking for a second consecutive win. On the other side of the ledger, Port was looking for its first win of the season from the third game played.
Prior to the start of the match a minute’s silence was observed to mark ANZAC Day. This set the scene perfectly for a match that was marked by outstanding sportsmanship and was a tight contest throughout. At no point was either team able to grab a decisive lead and the game hung in the balance throughout. By the end of the match, Port had one less scoring shot but slightly more accurate finishing saw them come away with a hard fought victory by just four points.
Port Macquarie Magpies 14.16.100 d Macleay Valley Eagles 13.18.96
Port Macquarie Vice President Wayne Nelson commented that it had been a great game in poor conditions. “This was a great result for us as we had three boys away playing in Sydney, whilst Macleay Valley had their stars in the team. This will set us up nicely for the next few weeks.”
Macleay Valley coach Steve Jeffrey was full of praise for both teams. “This was a great game and credit to Port for their narrow victory. Everyone present spoke highly of the contest and the good sportsmanship that was displayed throughout.”
The other Under 18 match of the round between Coffs Breakers and Grafton Tigers is to be re-scheduled for a date to be confirmed, with the match to be played under lights. This follows on from the successful night match played between these two clubs last weekend in Senior Grade.
Next weekend sees the return to action of all grades, with the highlight to be the first of the Coffs Harbour local derbies between Breakers and Sawtell Toormina Saints in all three grades at Fitzroy Oval, Coffs. Breakers recorded their first win of the season last week and played an exciting brand of footy, whilst Sawtell find themselves in the unusual position of having lost their past two outings.
Meanwhile, Grafton have the longest road trip in the League as they travel to Port Macquarie to take on the home side in Seniors and Macleay Valley in Under 18. Port Macquarie play Macleay Valley in Reserve Grade to round out the day at Wayne Richards Park.
For full details of the next round please click on this link.
Last Modified on 27/04/2016 12:15